It was dirty
by Project 0506
Summary: Sakura finds out a little secret Naruto and Sasuke have been keeping, and now she finally understands them. nonslash! Reviews Welcomed!


This place...

Somehow this place never failed to terrify him.

From the very first time he snuck in to satisfy his curiosity - back when it was bustling with people- to the last time he was here, all alone, it gave him the creeps. Something about this place made it seem capable of melting away the flesh people hid inside, searing away the masks meant to protect and exposing the frail, vulnerable being underneath. It only seemed fitting, considering its bloody history.

Today the walls echoed back his every footstep, and the wind howled around deserted buildings. It was deafening, as if all the demons of the past were clamoring, demanding the solitary boy's notice. Not his demon, however. No, always in this place, his own demon was completely silent, though whether out of respect or disdain, he never could tell.

He switched the bucket to his left hand. Well, he'd better get started. Three years of work was not about to do itself.

"...oh, and Naruto's back."

He froze, distinctly hearing a voice, and knowing full well there wasn't supposed to be anyone else here.

"I saw him yesterday, him and his pervert sensei Jiraiya-sama. He's grown a lot; he's even taller than me now, but don't worry, he hasn't changed _that _much. You'd still recognize him. Personality-wise, he's still the same old Naruto. He didn't even notice my new look! I mean, half the boys in Konoha are chasing after me, and his only observation is 'You haven't changed a bit Sakura!' He doesn't know how much that hurt, especially after I tried so hard, for both of you. Then again, what did I expect from Naruto? Of course I yelled and hit him, harder than I used to, but I know he can handle it. You know, he even volunteered to demonstrate a new perverted technique! Right there, in broad daylight and in plain sight of everybody! I'm beginning to wonder if Jiraiya-sama did more harm than good. Naruto can be so annoying sometimes! Still, I'm glad he's home. Things can start moving toward normal again. One down, one to go. And don't worry, I mean it. You'll be back soon. Naruto would cut through every Oto-nin to get you back, and I plan to be right there beside him."

She sat on the edge of a stone fountain in the middle of the courtyard, staring up at the lightening sky. Her brilliant pink hair hung almost to her shoulders, and swayed in the breeze.

"Sakura-chan?" Sakura shot to her feet suddenly, nearly tripping over a tangle of weeds growing up through cracks in the stone floor.

"Naruto!"

"Ya know, some people think talking to yourself is crazy." Sakura blushed furiously and toed the floor.

"I wasn't talking to myself! I was... talking to him... you wouldn't understand." For several minutes she looked everywhere but at him. "Wait a minute! What are you doing here?"

"Two days ago was officially three years since he went to Orochimaru, right? You come here every year?" She nodded.

"I always come to the Uchiha compound, and sometimes I pretend he can hear me. I used to cry, but I don't anymore. That still doesn't answer my question. What are you doing here?"

"Umm... It's...stupid..."

Sakura looked at him strangely. "More stupid than talking to the wind?"

"... it's the ghosts. I come to work and listen to them."

"...What?"

Naruto heaved a heavy sigh and sat beside her. "It started back when I was eight. I used to sneak in here all the time. They had the best food. There was this lady... she used to leave some of the dinner out on the window-sill. She always said it was for a puppy that came by each night. She'd pretend not to see me when I stole some, and sometimes she'd even leave sweets or cake out. One winter she left out a scarf... and after that there was this orange suit. It was too big, but she said I'd grow into it... I never did wear anything else. Even when It wore out during training with Ero-sennin I just sewed the pieces back together with some other fabric.

"Well that day I snuck in for dinner. And...they were dead. Everybody, all the people there. Just dead. Some lying in the street, some trying to get away. Some in their houses. One little girl and her teddy-bear in the fountain..."

He shuddered, lost in the memory. Both their eyes moved to the fountain, as if able to see the body still there, floating because she had not been dead long enough to sink. Everywhere he looked, dead, empty eyes stared back at him from another realm. Sakura subconsciously moved closer to him. "Naruto... you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"I have to. It isn't fair to you that I never told you." He steeled himself and continued. "I started screaming and running. I had to get away, to go anywhere. I tumbled into one of the houses. And that's where I found them. The lady who had been so nice to me... and Sasuke. He was holding on to her, like he was in shock. He didn't hear when I called him, he just sat there, staring. I grabbed him, shook him a couple of times. I thought he was dying too, there was so much blood. And he was barely breathing. His heart was slowing down, I thought for sure he was going to die... so I...I...

flashback

_"Damn you, you bastard!" Sasuke's head snapped backwards as Naruto's fist connected with his face. His arms were torn away from his mother, the force of the blow sending him flying across the room._

_"Wha..."_

_"Oi teme, look at yourself. You know, she's one of three people who actually care about me. I don't have parents, and the only lady who was nice to me is dead, but you don't see me curling up like some loser trying to die, do you?"_

_"You don't understand."_

_"You're right. I'll never understand what makes a person too cowardly to live."_

_"You... you idiot!" Sasuke flew at him, knocking him backward. Naruto didn't block the punch that landed in his stomach. He fell flat on his back, Sasuke landing on top of him. The Uchiha slumped forward, head buried in the other boy's chest, tears streaming from his eyes. "Wh-what now, y-you're g-gonna l-laugh a-at me for c-crying?"_

_"As long as you're not dead then I'm gonna laugh at everything you do. Shouldn't stop you from doing it though."_

_"Sh-shut up."_

_"Come on, lets get out of here before people come. You don't want anybody to see you sniveling like a baby." Sasuke sat up._

_"Hmph. You're crying too." Stubbornly Naruto rubbed at the moisture in his eyes and pouted._

_"That's only because I'm a sucker for seeing a girl cry." Sasuke punched him again... though half-heartedly this time. "You can stay at my place tonight. Things are always better in the morning...Don't look at them. Teme...TEME!" Naruto put himself between the boy and the bodies. "You'll make it worse. Come on teme, just look at me. Let's get out of here."_

_That night, two little boys sat huddled together in a corner in dingy apartment. No words were spoken between them, but silent tears streamed down both faces. After several hours, when sunlight began creeping in through the window, the dark haired one shoved himself up, and started picking up empty ramen containers and tossing them in the trash. Naruto watched but didn't interfere. Sasuke's eyes were dull, as if he was not aware of anything. When all the trash was picked up, he started collecting the dirty dishes and dumping them in the sink._

_"Oi..."_

_"...don't. I need to do something."_

_Naruto nodded, and pushed himself up. Wordlessly, he started drying the dishes Sasuke washed and putting them in cupboards. He slammed one door shut quickly, hoping the haphazard stack of dishes wouldn't be strong enough to push it back open. Sasuke glared, and handed him the soapy sponge. "Wash. I doubt even you could mess that up." Naruto stuck out his tongue, but took Sasuke's place at the sink, while the dark-haired boy set about re-stacking all of Naruto's dishes._

_There was an uproar later that day, when someone found him wandering about, dazed but unharmed. They thought he had died too. They thought no one had been spared. They thought Uchiha was wiped out._

_People asked where he had been all night. But an empty stare met all questions. Kind people had buried all the bodies and cleaned the compound. They whispered that you couldn't even see the blood anymore. They were wrong._

_A week later, Sasuke slipped out of his new apartment at four in the morning. The compound was abandoned, and he planned to make sure no one lived there again. He could still see it. There was still blood everywhere. He could still smell the bodies. He had to do something._

_He went directly to the kitchen in his home... his house, not home anymore. The cleaning things, Kaa-san always kept them under the sink in the kitchen. He bent down and pulled everything out, then sat on the floor to take inventory. Rags, buckets, mop and broom were in the broom closet... "No soap..." A note tacked to the fridge said as much, a reminder his mother put to herself._

_"No problem, I brought enough." Sasuke glared up at the intruder._

_"What are you doing here?"_

_"Saw ya. figured you'd need help."_

_"... I don't need your help."_

_"Whatever teme, you're getting it anyway. You cleaned my house, and I don't like owing you one. So stuff it." Naruto added his own bucket full of rags and soap to the pile. "We better get started."_

_"...right."_

_They worked side-by-side tirelessly every night for weeks, until every house had been scrubbed clean. Neither willing to say anything to the other, and each knowing they'd never tell another soul..._

end flashback

"So we come here every year and clean. Sasuke's obsessive about it, and if I don't help him he'll try to do it by himself. I came here the day I got out of the hospital, after I couldn't get him back. I used my shadow clones and got done pretty quickly... Like I said, pretty stupid huh? Sakura-chan?"

Sakura flung her arms around him and hugged him tightly. It was over as quickly as it started. She pulled away and jumped to her feet. "Well, come on. We can't have Sasuke coming home to see the place like this can we?"

"Why would you… It's a hard and really nasty job, why don't you just let me handle it?"

"Who knows, maybe having friends that clean your house means you really are loved. Besides, I have to do it…because it's dirty."

Naruto smiled. "Right!" They both grabbed the buckets and headed into the main house. Sakura noticed that Naruto brought two buckets, but she never pointed it out.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm scrubbing, why?" Naruto made a face and pointed to her rag.

"You're using those stupid little circle movement! You'll never get done!"

"Well sorry for not having inhuman stamina but some NORMAL people can't attack the floor like you do! I'd be tired out in a few minutes!" For good measure she flung her rag at his head. He easily dodged it, and slung his bucket of water at her, missing her entirely and soaking the room. "Wonderful! How are you gonna dry this up?" But the shadow clones had already solved that problem, tying the rags to their feet and sliding across the room. "I swear, you're so immature!"

"And proud of it!" The lifeless walls stared down in grim amusement at their banter, lending their voices to the argument.

They spent the rest of the day scrubbing, polishing and shining: Naruto and his hundred clones in their long strokes, pouring all their energy into every stroke, Sakura in little circles, precise and neat. Both of them missing the violent short strokes of the one they loved so much.

Finally she understood. She understood that Sasuke's glares really meant 'don't you dare tell anyone' and Naruto's insults meant 'and let people know I HELPED you?' She figured out the bond that is not so easily broken, and for the first time in what seemed like forever, her belief came back. She knew. He was coming home. It may not be soon. But it would happen.

"Sakura-chan?" She looked over at him, also on his knees on the floor. "You know I'm gonna bring him back right? And that I'd die before I'd break my promise to you."

"I know."

"But…in case…just in case I do fail I want you to do me a favor. If I fail it will mean that both he and I are dead… so I want you to burn this place."

"Naru…"

"…promise me."

They kept scrubbing away, hoping that by making the place spotless, they would please the demons there. Then maybe, just maybe, their voices would still long enough for the pair to pull one last voice back from the darkness.

Sakura brushed back a pink lock that strayed in front of her eyes. She stared out at the little ghost town, locked away with its memories where no one had to see it. Slowly she nodded. "I promise."

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

Tears streamed down her face, but she sternly told herself it was the fumes. She emptied the last bottle and tossed it in a corner with the others. This was covered in training, destroying something thoroughly, leaving no evidence behind. She was not a friend. She was not a teammate. She was simply an unnamed kunoichi carrying out an oath she had made long before. Tonight that was the only thing that mattered.

Her shishou had forbidden her from leaving the village, but it wasn't necessary. She didn't need to leave. They thought she would go out there, but only she knew that all she needed was right here.

She thought it was over when Orochimaru died. But Naruto came back without Sasuke. A month later, he was back out looking for him, to convince him to come home. But it didn't matter anymore.

Once under drugs, the captured enemy had taken great pride in admitting that he was one of the party that attacked the cell. That he himself had killed 'the loud-mouthed blond one'. He started bragging that he 'cut the kid down, even though the bastard kept dragging himself up'. He even remembered enough to say the 'idiot's' last words were: "I'm sorry Sakura…remember our deal…"

She remembered. And she was not going to back out of it.

Sakura sat in the middle of the floor. Every year this was the first room they cleaned: Sasuke's parents had died here. It's only fitting that she died here as well. She pulled out her box of matches.

"I'm sorry I never got to see you again Sasuke. I love you. And I love you Naruto. Just give me a minute. We'll be together again now." She struck the match, orange flame reflecting in her eyes. "And we'll clean this damn house for eternity…" She dropped it, relying on the gallons of gasoline she had spread to do the rest…

… but nothing happened.

Slowly she opened her eyes, finding herself and her match drenched in water.

"What the hell are you trying to do to my house?"

Her eyes moved upward and her mouth hung open in shock. "Sas..Sas…"

"…Sasuke maybe?"

"Sasuke-kun!" She shrieked, launching herself at him.

"Damn Sakura… you're a horrible housekeeper. This place reeks of kerosene." Her eyes widened even further.

Wickedly, the blond boy grinned from his perch on Sasuke's back. "Had to have teme hurry. I knew you'd do something stupid. You'd be surprised how fast he runs when you tell him you arranged to have his compound burned down…"

"Che…" Sasuke snorted, just like he did when they were all twelve. "The bastard just won't die. Found him dragging himself through the forest. The rest of the cell was dead."

She grabbed them both in a stranglehold hug, determined to never let them go. They were here, and somewhere in the back of her mind she believed if she let go they'd disappear again. Sobs rocked her body, and Sasuke made no move to push her away. Naruto, however…

"Sa-Sakura-SAKURA-CHAN! Can't breathe!" She jumped back in shock as she felt his blood trickle down her arm.

"Naruto! You need to get to the hospital!"

"Nah, I heal fast."

"Now Naruto!"

"No way! Not yet! This place stinks! I'm not going anywhere until it's clean." He crossed his arms and glared. And that was that.

No one understood why they did it. What possessed them on the first night of their reunion to start cleaning? People asked. But all they got was a smile. "It was dirty."

It would not be easy for him. He had shattered the trust of the village. The curse seal had clouded his judgment and suppressed his morality, but still he had some semblance of will. Sasuke would not be allowed to leave the village for a long time, and it would take even longer for him to be reinstated as a ninja. But every time he cleaned he found a semblance of hope. Sakura had waited five years for him, Naruto had nearly died several times to bring him back. They accepted him, and the rest of the village could go to hell for all he cared.

But something strange began to happen.

The very next year, Kakashi and Ino showed up on his doorstep on that day: Ino dragged there by Sakura, Kakashi curious. And minutes later they were drawn into the frenzy. Next year, Kakashi brought Gai and Iruka, while Ino dragged her entire team out.

The year after that, Tsunade, hearing some very strange reports, found herself outside the Uchiha compound, watching sixteen top jounin scrub the walls while three chuunin furiously beat carpets.

"Oi! Baa-chan!"

She waved back at Naruto. "What are you doing?"

"Isn't it obvious? We're cleaning."

"…I see that, but why?"

"Why else? Because it was dirty!"


End file.
